Parashat Ki Tisa


Parashat Parah

March 5-6, 2010

Candle Lighting Time: 5:33pm

Mincha/Maariv: 5:38pm

 

Kri'at Shema before: 9:15am

 

  

The Mt. Sinai Eruv is currently being repaired.  The YU Eruv is unchecked. 

Please check the website for updates.

The Eruv is sponsored by Jeremy and Aviva Stern wishing Mazal Tov to Michal and Shlomo Wadler on the birth of a son.


Find out the latest updates with the Washington Heights eruvin by calling 646-450-ERUV (3788), sending an SMS to (412) 213-8991 or by sending an instant message to "MtSinaiShul" on any IM network.

The Eruv has again been extended and DOES extend across Broadway, but does not extend into Fort Tryon Park.  For an updated map of the Eruv please go to our website or see the map in the shul lobby.  If you are not sure where you can carry, please contact the rabbi or a member of the eruv committee.


The Kesher is available in the lobby.

 

Shabbat Morning

  • Hashkama Shacharit: 7:00am
  • Second Shacharit: 9:00am
  • Kiddush following davening.
  • Kiddush is sponsored by Michal and Shlomo Wadler in honor of the birth of their son.

Shabbat Afternoon/Evening
  • Rabbi Schwartz's Shiur: 4:15pm
  • Rabbi Schwartz's Shiur is sponsored in memory of Dovid Yifrach ben Tuvyah on his third yahrzeit.
  • Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishit: 5:15pm 
  • Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Michal and Shlomo Wadler in honor of the birth of their son.
  • Shkia: 5:52pm
  • Maariv & Shabbat Ends: 6:40pm

 

Upcoming Events

    

  • LAST CALL:  We are revamping our Beit Midrash and you can help - Donate a new chair for just $36 each. Donations can be made online at www.mtsinaishul.com or at the office.
     
  • If anyone is willing to make a siyum on Erev Pesach, please speak to Yoni Ray.
     
  • If anyone is interested in helping out with the davening, laining, or gabbaut for Pesach, please see Yoni Ray.
     
  • There will be a Membership Meeting this Sunday, March 7th at 10am in the Beit Midrash to vote on the new constitution.
     
  • This Monday at 8pm Rabbi Ari Bergmann will give a final lecture on Pesach entitled, "Pesach bahalakha ub'aggadah: Where the two paths merge". The topic will be Pi and the Jewish Paradox: The Dual Message of Yetzias Mitzraim.

    Rabbi Ari Bergmann is the lead Portfolio Manager at Penso Capital Markets, LLC. Originally from Brazil and having spent time learning at Ner Yisroel, he is a leading ba'al machshava and has a rare ability to convey the Torah's true beauty and wisdom through a blend of halachic and midrashic sources.  He is currently a PhD candidate in Comparative Religion at Columbia University.
     
  • Rabbi Schwartz's shiur will meet this Wednesday at 8:45pm.  The topic will be See No Evil, Find No Evil:  The Issur of Chametz on Pesach.

  • Join Uri L'Tzedek, Rav Yitzchak Blau, and Miriam Ignatoff from the Hebrew Immigrant Aide Society on Thursday, March 11th from 7:30-9pm as we study "Compassion for the Convert in the Jewish Tradition", the Jewish perspective on immigration, and we can understand these issues in light of this perspective. Co-sponsored by Pardes. Free dinner will be served!

  • There will be a Kiddush next Shabbat - March 13th - for Shabbat Mevarchim Nissan (Shabbat HaChodesh) and if you would like to have food or liquor or a plate at the kiddush, please sponsor so we have money to buy that stuff.  And we now have a minimum sponsorship of $25.

  • Educate yourself about your personal finances. Finance and accounting professionals will discuss investment and tax ideas and strategies, and field questions from shul members about personal finance issues. Sunday, March 14th at 8pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. Please contact Zev Safran (zsafran@gmail.com) with any questions.

  • Washington Heights Canned Food Drive: Donate un-damaged, un-opened, un-expired and non-junk food to the JCC from now until March 21st at the drop off apartments below. Every month, the JCC hands out thousands of food packages to families in need, and their supplies are running low. Contact Zev Safran at zsafran@gmail.com, Rebecca Weiser at rebweiser@gmail.com, or the Chessed comittee at Chessed@mtsinaishul.com if you would like more information.


    Drop-Off List
    700 Ft Washington - 5J
    160 Bennett Ave., Apt 7C
    24 Bennett Ave - 52A
    739 West 186th Street - 5E
    182 Bennett Ave - 6F
    31 Bennett Avenue - 44
    100 Bennett Avenue - 6H
    150 Bennett Avenue - 5J
    165 Bennett Avenue - 2M
    195 Bennett Avenue - 3F
    121 Bennett Apt 35A
    590 Fort Washington - 4M
    4305 Broadway - 43
    192nd & Broadway - 5E
    815 West 181st Street - 6G
    736 West 187th - 609
    506 Fort Washington - 5B
    56 Bennett - 1H
    50 Overlook - 3A
    729 W 186th - 5E
    320 Wadsworth Ave #3L
    110 Bennett Ave 5G
     

   

Purim


Thanks to everyone who came to the Mt Sinai Purim 2010 party this past weekend.  Special thank you to everyone who made Digital Shorts for this year's contest.  The videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MtSinaiEventsComm#g/u

 

Special congratulations to this year's winning video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hmkEChaJuc


Pictures from the event can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=photos&gid=2210381344 - Tag yourselves and your friends!


Thank you to all those who contributed to the Matanot Levyonim campaign.  We raised over $10,000 for the JCC to distribute.  Tizku L'mitzvot!


Updates

 

  • If you have not renewed your membership for 2010, please do so at your earliest convenience.  Thank you to all those who already have renewed their membership.
     
  • The Shabbat Hashkama minyan is looking for volunteers to lain in the upcoming weeks. If anyone is able to volunteer to lain please contact Yoni Ray or Ya'akov Kanner.
     
  • The Chessed Committee - Email list kicked off an email list to let people know about upcoming community service opportunities.  If you're interested in receiving an email every other week about local opportunities, would like to get involved or have ideas to contribute, please contact chessed@mtsinaishul.com or speak with Shifra Apter.

 

  • Career Networking Initiative  -- Email List

    The Chessed Committee's Career Networking initiative will be establishing an email list to circulate information about available jobs to those who are looking. If you are interested in being added to the email list, please email Zev Safran, at zsafran@gmail.com. It would be helpful to include some basic details about your background and what you are looking for.
     

  • The Hospitality Committee is now in full swing again.  If you can host guests for shabbos, or if you need a meal, please sign up at www.mtsinaishul.com/hospitality by Thursday at 10AM.  If you have any questions, the please be in touch with members of the Hospitality Committee, or e-mail shabbosmeals@gmail.com.
     

  • Got magazines? Magazines (less than 10 weeks old) can be dropped in the box outside the Beit Midrash to benefit hospitalized patients. Please cut out the address labels. Contact chessed@mtsinaishul.com for more information.
     

  • Check out our 'Torah' tab on the Mount Sinai web page, where you can find recordings of shiurim that happened at the shul.
     
  • Now you can follow Mt Sinai Education updates on Twitter.  Follow us at @mtsinaiedu

 

Rabbi Schwartz's Office Hours
Monday:  9pm-10pm
Wednesday:  Following 8:45pm Shiur (approx. 9:30-10:30pm)


Mazal Tov
Michal and Shlomo Wadler on the birth of their son.
    Shlom Zakhar will take place at 8:30 in the MPR.
Judy Fuld on the Bar Mitzvah of her grandson.
Mark Grinberg and Nekhama Zilberstein on the birth of a grandson.


Welcome New Member
Tuvya Felt


Refuah Shelaimah
Judith Kanter
Bert Adler
 
 
Hakarat HaTov
Thank you to the Events Committee for putting together an outstanding Purim event last weekend! Special thank yous to Akiva Stechler, Aliza Abrams, Sara Lefkovitz, Sarah Goldstein, Sol Redlich, Rebecca Saidlower, Shlomo Benzaquen, Laya Pelzner, Sefi Kraut, Mor Rossler and the Shpiel team: Abbey Nickenson, Shella Sadovnik, Shlomo Benzaquen, Mark Rossler, Avi Steinberg, Arona Schneider, Rebecca Weiser, David Fried, and Eliana Balk.
 
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Digital Shorts Contest!


Condolences
We regret to announce the passing of our member, Solo Aron.
His wife, Fani Aron and son, Mecsi Aron are sitting shiva.

Shiva will take place today through Thursday morning at his home:
99 Hillside Ave.
#15H
212-569-3554

Minyan Schedule

Motzei Shabbat: Maariv - 6:35pm

Sunday: Mincha-Maariv - 5:35pm

The schedule for the rest of the week will follow



 
  • In Our Community

 

SHABBAT MORNING CHILDRENS' PLAYGROUP
Meals-for-Moms program:  If you'd like to volunteer to make meals, or if you're expecting and want to sign up for the program, contact Sura Rozenberg at familymeals@mtsinaishul.com.

Maternity Gmach
The Jewish Community Council has opened a new gemach. This lending program includes maternity clothes and pregnancy/parenting related books, as well as baby items such as swings and strollers.
The gemach is located at 666 W. 188th Street, and is open for both borrowing and donating items on Sunday and Wednesday evenings by appointment.
Please contact Anat or Dina at 212 568 5450.
For further details please see the 'services' tab on the JCC website at www.jccwhi.org


Women's Aerobics Class

Classes are held on Mondays, from 7:30—8:30 p.m. in the Mt. Sinai gym, for all ages and abilities. Come try out the class for $10.
For more information or to register call Anat Coleman at 212 740 2740.


This Week’s Schedule

Please remember to repeat Shema after nightfall. 
The 8:30am Shacharit and Mincha/Maariv on Sunday will be upstairs.
 

  •  

     

    Sunday

    3/7

    Monday

    3/8

    Tuesday

    3/9

     Wednesday

    3/10

    Thursday

    3/11

    Friday

    3/12

    Parshat

    Vayakhel-Pekudei
    Parshat Hachodesh
    Shabbat Mevarchim

    3/13

    Office Hours

    		8:30am-12pm
    9:30am-5pm
    9:30am-5pm
    9:30am-5pm
    9:30am-5pm

    8:30am-12pm

    CLOSED

    Shacharit

    7:30/8:30/9am

    		 6:45/7:20/8am 7/7:30/8am 7/7:30/8am 6:45/7:20/8am

     

    7/7:30/8am

    7/9am


    Zman Kriyat Shema:
    9:15 AM
     

    Mincha/ Maariv

    		 5:40pm 5:40pm 5:40pm
         		 5:40pm
         		 5:40pm

    Mincha:

    5:46 pm


    Candles
    5:41 pm

    Class:

    4:25 pm

     

    Mincha: 

    5:25 pm


    Seudah Shlishit

    Shabbat Ends

    6:47 pm

     

    Activities

    		   Women's Aerobics 7:30pm

    Women's Basketball
    9pm    		 Women's Basketball
    9pm    		 Men's Basketball
    8pm

    Rabbi Schwartz's Shiur
    8:45pm    		  
  • Reminder: Please return your siddurim and chumashim to their places after services.

 


Parsha Perspectives

            Parashat Ki-Tisa begins with the mitzva of machatzit ha-shekel, the annual half-shekel tax that every individual had to pay to the treasury of the Beit Ha-mikdash.  The Torah emphasizes that this was a flat tax; each person had to pay precisely a half-shekel, regardless of his financial status: “The wealthy man shall not increase, nor shall the indigent man decrease, from the half-shekel” (30:15).

             The Ramban, in his commentary to this verse, interprets it as establishing a mitzvat lo ta’aseh (Torah prohibition) that forbids deviating in either direction from the specified amount.  While noting the fact that the Ge’onim and Rishonim who listed the Torah’s 613 commands make no mention of such a prohibition, the Ramban asserts that we should, indeed, include this command in the list of the mitzvot.  Accordingly, in the Ramban’s view, a pauper who pays less than a half-shekel not only fails to fulfill the affirmative command to pay a half-shekel, but also violates the command that forbids paying less.  Furthermore, and perhaps even more surprisingly, a wealthy man who pays more than a half-shekel violates a Torah prohibition, since he exceeded the specified amount of a half-shekel.

             A number of later writers (including Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, in his Oznayim La-Torah) note the significance of this prohibition as it applies to the wealthy person’s additional donation.  Sometimes, chesed is used as a means of asserting control or earning distinction.  The Torah certainly allows, and even encourages, voluntary donations to the Temple treasury.  However, it insists upon an equal annual tax in order to reserve one area where all members of the nation are equal, and where no member can assert supremacy over another even through the means of magnanimity.  We might imagine that for the wealthier members of Benei Yisrael, it was very difficult to pay the same measly half-shekel that the nation’s beggars paid.  They likely felt a natural drive and inclination to pay higher dues, if for no other reason than to set themselves socially apart from the mendicants.  The prohibition of “he-ashir lo yarbeh” required the nation’s aristocrats and moguls to experience a sense of kinship and identification with members of the lower socioeconomic classes.  The Torah found it necessary to designate one area where the wealthy would be unable to distinguish themselves – even through acts of generosity.  While the Torah certainly encourages voluntary donations to the Mikdash, it assigned one “flat tax” which reminded the people that all members of Am Yisrael are, ultimately, equally beloved by the Almighty and worthy of bringing His presence into the nation’s midst.

 

By Rabbi David Silverberg, from the Virtual Beit Midrash (www.vbm-torah.org).

To submit a Dvar Torah to the weekly Kesher, please email bulletin@mtsinaishul.com.

 

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have paid their 2010 dues.

Your support enables our shul to continue serving as the epicenter of our community.

Thank you so much.

 

Shabbat Shalom!

 

 
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